- 139
- 135 903
Tending a Handmade Life
United States
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 31 ส.ค. 2011
Greetings! I'm Kathy Van Kleeck. Join me as I share my path as a maker, creating Talismans and Tools for a heart-centered life ... capped crystal Talismans and spirit guided jewels, intuitive perfumes and incense, growing and dyeing with indigo plus botanical printed silks and linens, hunting for wild clay and building a wood fired kiln, and moving towards a more self-sufficient life through growing and preserving as much of our own food as possible. My husband and I live in a funky little log cabin on 7 acres a stones throw from Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the mountains of Western North Carolina. My videos are a mix of musings, inspirations and demonstrations, all shared with great joy and deep gratitude ... all with the intention to inspire and celebrate the myriad ways of Tending a Handmade Life.
Hudson River Valley Journey
Once again, we're on the move ... on the hunt for a new place to call home. We are taking an enormous leap of faith, throwing it up to the universe and fulling embracing the notion of "let go, let God." Read the journal entry on my website for the full story:
มุมมอง: 27
วีดีโอ
Wood Fired Philosophers Kiln, Firing up Maisy Aug 2024
มุมมอง 8033 หลายเดือนก่อน
As the August Super Full Moon was setting over the top ridge of our land, I fired up my Philosophers Kiln, now named “Maisy” after my Mom (she’s small but mighty), for the second time. The first firing in April went really fast (8 hours) but we came up short on the temperature, ^10 barely moved in all three cone packs. For my second firing, I was determined to slow things down and hit my target...
Kintsugi Style repairs, BRONZclay with Fine Silver Metal Clay
มุมมอง 3215 หลายเดือนก่อน
Here's my modern day take on the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi ... a classic wabi-sabi technique of repairing broken pottery with lacquer and an overlay of gold, celebrating the history and enhancing the flaws. My version is using fine silver metal clay to repair BRONZclay pieces that broke after not being fully sintered/fused. I had 400gms of BRONZclay in two firings that did NOT go as plan...
UPDATE Metal Clay Capped Crystals
มุมมอง 4036 หลายเดือนก่อน
Not sure why it took me so long ... but I found a new and significantly better way to secure metal clay (or any metal) caps to crystals ... epoxy clay! In my previous 2 part video series "How To Create Perfect Fitting Fine Silver Metal Clay Capped Crystals" (th-cam.com/video/nY4ZmflWsUE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=MaJuRYkIw_m9PrNF), I used liquid epoxy resin to set my metal clay caps. It's was always kind of...
Getting Ready to Fire the Philosopher's Kiln
มุมมอง 4048 หลายเดือนก่อน
Getting Ready to Fire the Philosopher's Kiln
Part 2, Building a Small Scale Wood Fired Kiln, the Details
มุมมอง 2.4K9 หลายเดือนก่อน
Part 2, Building a Small Scale Wood Fired Kiln, the Details
Building a Small Scale Wood Fired Kiln, Steve Mills Backyard Philosophers Kiln , pt1 the Big Picture
มุมมอง 13K9 หลายเดือนก่อน
Building a Small Scale Wood Fired Kiln, Steve Mills Backyard Philosophers Kiln , pt1 the Big Picture
2024 Essentials, Considering My Way Forward In the New Year
มุมมอง 20010 หลายเดือนก่อน
2024 Essentials, Considering My Way Forward In the New Year
The Great New Years Eve 2023 Pottery Smash
มุมมอง 6711 หลายเดือนก่อน
The Great New Years Eve 2023 Pottery Smash
Scarves in the Wind, Botanical Print and Indigo Overdye Silk Scarves
มุมมอง 204ปีที่แล้ว
Scarves in the Wind, Botanical Print and Indigo Overdye Silk Scarves
Mondo JuJu Blue Moon Talismans Adjustable Cord Demo
มุมมอง 158ปีที่แล้ว
Mondo JuJu Blue Moon Talismans Adjustable Cord Demo
Fermented Indigo Vat + Wild Clay + Harvesting Organic Veggies, a Day Tending a Handmade Life
มุมมอง 281ปีที่แล้ว
Fermented Indigo Vat Wild Clay Harvesting Organic Veggies, a Day Tending a Handmade Life
Intuitive Incense Blends for Tending a Handmade Life
มุมมอง 158ปีที่แล้ว
Intuitive Incense Blends for Tending a Handmade Life
Layering Earth Magic, Crystal Talismans and Botanical Print With Indigo Silk
มุมมอง 331ปีที่แล้ว
Layering Earth Magic, Crystal Talismans and Botanical Print With Indigo Silk
Capped Crystal Talismans Indigo Blessing Wrap
มุมมอง 192ปีที่แล้ว
Capped Crystal Talismans Indigo Blessing Wrap
Rhythm vs Routine, a shift in perspective and gratitude for this awareness
มุมมอง 3792 ปีที่แล้ว
Rhythm vs Routine, a shift in perspective and gratitude for this awareness
Creating New Jewels, my process of making
มุมมอง 4712 ปีที่แล้ว
Creating New Jewels, my process of making
Late Summer Reflections and Gratitude for a Life Changing AHA Moment
มุมมอง 1752 ปีที่แล้ว
Late Summer Reflections and Gratitude for a Life Changing AHA Moment
Part 2, How to create perfect fitting fine silver metal clay caps for crystals and other treasures
มุมมอง 12K2 ปีที่แล้ว
Part 2, How to create perfect fitting fine silver metal clay caps for crystals and other treasures
How to create perfect fitting fine silver precious metal clay capped crystals, part 1
มุมมอง 30K2 ปีที่แล้ว
How to create perfect fitting fine silver precious metal clay capped crystals, part 1
Designing capped crystals; inspiration for construction and texture
มุมมอง 4322 ปีที่แล้ว
Designing capped crystals; inspiration for construction and texture
Thank you! Learned a bunch. I too cap crystal but use Silver sheet.
@@mrllblasi so many ways to get to a similar end!
I'm curious if you had enough ash buildup to justify using wadding? I'm mainly just wondering how much juice you can get from a half day firing.
Actually, not that much. Did the wadding as a precautionary measure until I knew how the kiln was going to fire. Tried to go a bit longer on the second firing, and got some ash moving through, but still not a lot.
Well done 😊...i love your transparent explanations...i am a potter from Zambia, i wish to link up
@@Bactor-Handflutist thanks! Bittersweet, I am moving to an exciting new area and giving my wood kiln to a friend. My creative endeavors will be on hold for a while. Good luck with your own clay journey!
Thank you so much ❤
So how did your year turn out?
Not at all what I planned or expected ... 😏
2 hours and 1000 degree.... sounds very unrealistic. maximum 300 you can get within that time frame
@@LastEmpireOfMusic my first time firing it up and it was empty … took it MUCH slower when fully loaded! Still blows me away how fast it wants to climb in temp. We have to be very diligent to rein it in. Thanks so much for watching my little video and taking the time to comment! 🙏
@@tendingahandmadelife i think i was also off cause you use fahrenheit not celsius. anyway i am struggling to get above 950 right now with mine.
@@LastEmpireOfMusic maybe chimney height? Although mine is quite tall and this vintage one is quite short, instagram.com/p/DBCHoqCA6x4/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== . I follow these ladies on IGM and am amazed by their firings. They get to ^12 in a very short time with a seriously wonky kiln. Also, I start off with bigger wood, but switch to long and thin pieces once I've got a good bed of coals. Type of wood makes a difference as well. I use really dry pine and poplar, the thinner pieces combust almost immediately. Good luck!
I'm so inspired. thankyou.
@@scotwillis9993 terrific! My intention exactly … thanks so much for watching my little video and taking the time to comment! 🙏
I’m so happy I found you! I’ve been wondering how to make caps with silver clay. Do you not worry about the shrinkage cracking the clay as it fires?
Yay!!! Since the clay achieves its shrinkage in 3D, I allow for that by rolling out the clay a tiny bit thicker. I use 2 thick pieces of cardstock. Good luck!
Thank you!! Question: the Mills guide names scaffold poles for the fire bars… is this just regular scaffold galvanized steel?
@@nkazz35 I think this kiln is all about using the materials you can salvage or scrounge. I got my pipes for the firebox crossbars and my angle iron at a metal scrap yard. Good luck! BTW, there’s some potters in the UK getting ready to fire up an old Philosophers Kiln as we speak. Check out shiny_rubbie_people on IGM. Thanks for taking the time to watch my little video and leave a comment! 🙏🙏🙏
Really appreciated watching your work transform
@@giglehart thank you! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch my little video and leave a comment … so very appreciated! 🙏🙏🙏
Title says Maisy, description says Daisy😂. Curious now what it is? Love to watch your adventure!! It is my dream as well. The bubbles in clay are from going too hot. So your clay can't go so hot maybe? I am following your adventure!
Oh my, thank you for that catch!!! It's MAISY! My 98 year old mom's name is Mae and my dad called here Maisy. She was thrilled to learn I had named the kiln after her. But no idea how I made that typo. I did take my Foredom diamond grinding tool to the bubbly bits and it was surface level, not the clay body. I'm thinking impurities in the unwashed ash that I used in the glaze. I washed the ash for the previous batch of glaze and didn't have any issues. The wild clay body held up amazingly well. Thanks again for the catch, feedback and following along as my little adventure continues!
Beautiful work. Do you sell them?
Yes, I do via my online shop ... which is currently on hiatus for a few more days. I hope to have some new ones available by the end of this week (10/5).
❤
Your open-hearted, beautifully vulnerable sharing here touched me in ways I can’t describe (made me instantly subscribe, too, btw!). I feel like you are directly speaking to me and where I’m at right now in life. What you experienced so resonates with me. Thank you for sharing this offering, I’m grateful I stumbled upon it here in cyberland.🙏💜
Oh golly ... thank you so much for taking the time to watch my video and comment ... it really does mean everything to me and reinforces why I love sharing my journey on this crazy platform! Blessings for your own journey ... 🙏🙏🙏
Absolutely amazing
Thanks! Kinda feels that way to me as well ... a game changer for sure!
Brilliant. It was meant to be.
@@credenza1 truly!
Just wonderful. A dream come true.
@@credenza1 feels borderline miraculous!
Combien faut il mettre de citron vert et de chaux dans la chaudiere dindigo 9:23 pour obtenir le bon ph svp 😊
Toutes mes excuses pour mon retard à répondre ! J'utilise les ratios 1-2-3 de Michel Garcia. Pour une cuve à sucre, cela représente 1 part d'indigo, 2 parts de citron vert, 3 parts de matière de réduction. J'espère que cela aide.
Well done! Keep up the great work and thank you for sharing.
@@wvienneau9257 thank you so much! It’s a labor of love for sure! 🙏🙏🙏
Absolutely fantastic !!!
@@irinbenz9645 thank you!!! 🙏🙏🙏
Nice work!
Thank you! Cheers!
Just wanted to say thanks for your videos, you've inspired me to go for it and get the things together to build one. Something about the idea of wood firing brings out a child like excitement in me! Can't wait. Thanks again
@@RustybeatShorts Yippee! That is super exciting! We fired up mine today for the second time. We surpassed ^10 in 10 1/2 hours. Followed a modified version of Euan Craig’s firing schedule. Opening tomorrow … 🤞🙏💙
Have read that people use the tea colored pour off liquid for indirubin dye that maybe reddish to purplish
@@1aliveandwell there is a whole world of ways to use indigo that I have not explored. Endless inspiration! 🙏💙
how much lime and lime is needed to get good pH
@@manondube7697 It depends on the type of vat you're making, but a good starting point is Michel Garcia's "1-2-3" vat. 1 part indigo, 2 parts lime, 3 parts reduction material. An excellent resource for various kinds of vats is the book, The Art and Science of Natural Dyes. After my vat is established and has been used, I'll go with my intuitive approach to balancing the vat, and that just takes time to learn for yourself. Good luck!
Awesome video.
Thank you!!! Hope it's helpful ... 🙏
What a great video. Love your explanation.
Thanks so much! Hope it was helpful! 🙏
@@tendingahandmadelife I just bought a house in Rutherfordton NC. i have a traditional skutt kiln but I plan on and would love to build a wood fire kiln. I bought the booklet that you suggested and read thru it...thank you again. really helpful.
@@cavemandancer super cool! You’ll do well with the nice Skutt for bisque firings as I only have a teeny electric kiln that I use for metal clay. I just fired up my Philosophers kiln on Tuesday. It really wants to go fast and furious. We went 10 1/2 hours and got a bit carried away. We flattened ^10 and I’m not sure how hot it got, probably cone 12. It’s an excellent design. Good luck and thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! 🙏✨🌟💫
Amazing video! Loved all the details on the building process 😊
Thank you! Hope it proves helpful ... 🙏
Fabulous!
Why thank you!!! 🙏🙏🙏
Nice job.
Thank you!
It's been fun watching you build your kilm I'm getting ready to build mine this summer and and still working out the design. I can't wait
@@jasongannon7676 thanks! It’s a labor of love for sure and the design turned out to be a really good one. Simple, straightforward and easy to construct. Good luck and all the best on your own build… super exciting! 🙏🙏🙏
I love this so much❤ I miss my people. We moved from our home of 20 hrs to a totally new area, same state, but 2 yrs and I still can't find a tribe. Your energy and intention while making your beautiful creations is such a blessing❤ thank you so much for sharing ALL of your process❤I pray for blessings on you and your family❤
I’m so glad you enjoyed my video! And I totally understand. We live in one area, but our tribe is an hour away in a much more expensive town. It’s a challenge for sure. Best of luck, blessings and all good things! 🙏🙏🙏
Excelente video aprendí mucho y lindas piezas de joyería. Cómo se llama la arcilla que no se recoge o reduce ? La que usas para mantener el bisel en su tamaño. Gracias ✨🌞
🙏🙏🙏 Creative Paperclay, a.co/d/dMlZ967
@@tendingahandmadelife thank u
They're beautiful ceramics
Thank you!
Cool
Thanks!
Since you can no longer buy PMC what type of clay do you use now? Also, do you sell your pieces? If so, what is your shop? Lovely work!! I have a stone that a friend gave me awhile back. She wanted me to cut it up into pieces and make a bracelet. Have you made bracelets before with crystals? Look forward to your reply. Thank you!!
I hate that PMC no longer exists and have switched to ArtClay, not my favorite. I've been buying it on Amazon and paying about 1/3 less than the metal clay retailers. I haven't made any bracelets, just the pendants. Long ago, I wrapped beach glass with thin strips of metal clay and fired in place. Cool thing is the silver fumes the glass and changes the color. It is necessary to anneal the glass in the cooling, but it's a fun application. The fine silver bezel with a paperclay core would definitely work for a bracelet. Good luck!
@@tendingahandmadelifeI do miss PMC too!!!! Ugggh Tks.
Yep ... soldiering on!
silver clay??
Fine silver metal clay. It's fine silver powder in an organic binder that works like clay, is fired in a kiln where the binder burns out, leaving the pure silver fused together. It shrinks in the process, which makes this application tricky! cooltools.us/collections/silver-clay . The brand I use is ArtClay.
Including the shelter would be helpful though I can cost that up fairly easily if not! Thanks again, exciting!
I just edited the content for the video with some cost updates, but I think I cover pretty much everything I spent in the text description. 🙏
@@tendingahandmadelife wonderful, apologies if I'd missed this. Excited to get started!
I totally forgot I had included all the costs ... silly me! Good luck!!!
Thank you for your videos they are inspiring and helping me get started! Appreciate it’s difficult to do as we will all manage to salvage some materials as you did, and need to purchase others. But would you be able to offer an approximate total cost for your materials?
So glad you found this helpful! It will be a few days before I have the time, but I will work on adding up my costs and let you know. 🙏
Silly me, just realized I did a follow-up video with all the specifics and costs of the build, th-cam.com/video/QAExibVRObc/w-d-xo.html . Hope this helps! Good luck!!!
@@tendingahandmadelife That is brilliant, thank you so much! Much appreciated. And glad you didn't have to do as much work to answer that for me!
Regular shale and clay brick can take the temperatures, but regular brick does not like fast speed up and fast cool down. Firebrick can take that up and down, no problem. If you have a good amount of "red brick" heat up slowly.... and....... bring down slowly..... This is where those dampers probably help keep the heat IN, but I'm not sure where they are. The Russians, in their brick stoves, have a damper very high up in the chimney (they may even use a pole,) to keep the heat IN (after the fire goes out) and to keep the cold air from flowing down the chimney into the firebox. This way, the bricks radiate out heat for 12 hours after the fire has gone out.
Thanks for the info! The original plans called for using regular clay house bricks, but I was incredibly fortunate to be gifted enough hard and soft firebrick to complete the kiln with double walls for the whole chamber. The dampers are just at the base of the chimney. For the August firing, I’m going to slow it down, hopefully from an 8 hour firing to 10 or 12 hours with a reduction cooling at the end, per Euan Craig’s firing schedule. We’ll see! 🤞🙏
Great series....thank you. The narrowing of the chimney for the last few feet actually creates speed... and draw.... as long as it's not too narrow, and it's not.
Thank you! That was the advice of my mentor as well. We just added another 3 rows of bricks and will see how it goes when we fire it up mid August. 🤞🙏
Thank you for sharing your journey with processing and using your wild clay. I live in another part of North Carolina, where there is sand everywhere and no rocks at all. I have a small vein of clay, which contains between 25 and 40% sand and silt. Straight out of the ground it is almost impossible to throw on the wheel and readily falls apart in your hands. But I have altered my processing methods (without any additives) to separate the sand and the silt from the clay. For me removing the sand is easy. It is the silt that is the most difficult, because the silt particles are so small that stay suspend with the clay and they also easily flow through an 80 mesh sieve. I now know how to remove the silt and produce a clay that I can throw on the wheel and even pull some handles. It is not perfect, but it is usable now. The key is to mix the raw clay with enough water to form a very thin slurry (even thinner than cream) to allow the sand and silt to settle out. I think the term for this is levigation. I wish you the best.
Congratulations on getting a working clay body! I’m enormously grateful that my source requires very little amending. I hand build everything, which gives me more leeway. I’m still dialing in ratios, but I’m thrilled with results thus far. Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment and share your journey … really appreciated! 🙏
A little tip from my experience with self dug clay... let your clay completely dry, then add gently to a bucket of water and do not disturb for about a day. You should get zero sticky clumps and a nice smooth clay slurry that will be easy to stir up with your mixer and put through the screen. I'm really enjoying your videos! Cheers!
Thanks so much! I’ve seen folks start with dry. I’m just so impatient and hate to wait for the clay to dry out. I might give that a try next time. Avoiding clumps would be a plus! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Very much appreciated! 🙏
Maybe just try a handful and see if you think it is worth it for a bigger batch. Cheers!
@@mr63dodge good idea. Thanks again!
Great video, thank you!
My pleasure! 🙏🙏🙏
How cool for sharing this ❤
Glad you liked it! 🙏🙏🙏
Goodness!
🙏🙏🙏
I love the mix of textures, beautiful work! Thank you for sharing! If you didn't have a kiln, how long would you fire your cap for? I don't have a kiln yet, hopefully someday..but just starting out.
Thank you! I’m not sure torch firing would fully sinter the metal clay. As I’m sort of production oriented and work in bigger quantities, I’ve never tried it. Also, the paperclay core and firing in 3D make it a challenge. Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment. Good luck! 😏🙏
Its lovely jow you shared the many steps of indigo dye and the dress making process! Thank you.
Thank you! It was, start to finish, an incredibly satisfying process and I do love how the dress turned out! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment.
This reminds me a lot of my late grandmother, she loved pottery and sculpting, it's so nice to see others doing it as well!
Oh that's lovely! Thank you so much for watching my little video and taking the time to comment ...
thats so skibidi sigma in ohio gyat
???
Nice pile of wood.👀
It is a very nice pile and I have more to cut and split.
That looks so calming and peaceful ✌️ Thanks for sharing 👍
You’re quite welcome! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. It’s a pretty idyllic spot! I am a lucky maker for sure.
Sweet. From my own kiln building experience I've tried to use as much stainless steel as possible, and would highly recommend using stainless strap clamps, (a.k.a. hose clamp or worm screw clamp) in place of the galvanized wire. It comes in various lengths, but runs roughly just under a buck per foot or less on Amazon, and surprisingly goes a long ways. I got a 32' coil with 12 clamps for ~$25. It is impervious to corrosion and melts at a ridiculously high temp, somewhere above 2,500F and it's very strong. Stainless steel wire is also available.
Excellent info, thank you! I went with the galvanized wire to start, figuring I would upgrade at some point. Will look into your suggestions. 🙏🙏🙏